Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Under the blue sky
by JesterBlue
Summary: November 0087, follow the battle of Kilimanjaro, Karaba request a number of Zeta gundam Mass production type MSZ-006A1 Zeta Plus. About 20 of these were deployed. Amuro Ray were rumored to be piloted one of these machine...
1. Chapter 1

A-Custom.

**Prologue**

**Fox Two!**

The Core Booster launches a missile at the Wave-rider. A fine white line drawn from the Core Booster's wing tip becoming longer and clearer as the missile flying toward its mark.

Andrew can see it clearly from afar as the smoke trail became herald impending doom draw itself closer and closer to him.

Evade! Evade! …

His mind comprehends but his body would not follow. It has been completely paralyzed by fear. The missile's seeker is like the eye of the Beholder staring at him, petrifying him as itself homing in for the kill.

Dodge! Dodge! Dodge! …

Focus all of his will power, he divert his eyes from the deathly gaze. Willing his hand to move, Andrew reaches out for the control level…

Transform! …

**Two days ago- U.C.0087.10.18**

The three brightly coloured machines gently land on the airstrip. The cold dry atmosphere of the station is briefly warmed up by the hot air flowing from the engines and with it the seemingly desolated station suddenly snapped to life. Engineers rush toward the three machines.

David standing on the platform inside the hangar watching as the three Zeta-Pluses move inside. The first two machines are rolling toward their hangar on the other side of the runway. The last machine is being inspected by a group of engineers. This is not the first time this machine have problem. Last time one of the test pilots crashed it into the ground near the test field and nearly got himself killed. It took them a week to allocate another test pilot for it and repair all the damages.

David mumbles something to himself. He should have just scrapped the whole idea, and try to work with what he already got. The other two units work just fine, he can work from there. It is a solid unit, fast, agile, powerful and most of all, his customer need every Mobile Suit they can get. Sure they can keep looting Titan's depots or waiting for AEUG supply, but GM II on Dodai YS only get you so far against the Titan's transformable units. They need air superiority units! That is a sell right there! Ten units of these machines will turn the tide of the battle to their favour. Fifteen of these will dominate all North America's airspace. Fifteen… Easier said than done! Their new customer, Karaba do not have a wealthy supporter like their space counterpart. They have only recently made themselves known and a great part was due to the support of the AEUG. Most of their MS forces still come from raiding EFF's depot and scavenged parts. For them to shell out their hard earned cash for fifteen units of these, it has to be more than simply good machines. They have to be a miracle on legs just like the original Gundam of 0079 era… and that is why he is here; because Anaheim needs a grand marketing heist and he is the master.

As David immersing himself in his own delusion, Chief Engineer Howard Norlov shook his head. Sales men… What do their known about things? Howard known it just all too well, being a member of the team that develop the RX-78-2 NT1, he known the problem is not in the machine but the pilot. A normal pilot no matter how good he/she is cannot harness the full power of a Gundam, especially one that is built for Newtype, especially one that is built for Amuro Ray himself. Back in the day, the brass decides that Amuro need a Custom Unit to match his Newtype power, they start the NT1 project on Libot. The problem is they don't know what Newtype power is suppose to be. The General staff other than Revil and a few others do not believe in this magical thinking, there is no Newtype research at all until after the war come to an end when Amuro's exploit draw attention toward this new phenomenal. So the NT 1 is nothing more than a jacked-up Gundam with magnetic coated joints, better reactor output and… more armor. The unit would never have made it even if it was not destroyed on Libot anyway.

Seven years have passed and now what do we have here? Magnetic coating, better reactor output and a bigger gun… The result? Three accidents in two weeks, one injured test pilot and the project were delayed for a week due to repair. Howard let out a loud sign and starts walking down the platform toward the machine. In his opinion, Anaheim should just let the AEUG bite it and return to selling machine to the Titan. In the end, they are arms dealer and the Titan will always found its needs for new machines. Rights?


	2. Chapter 2

Painted in Bright White and Orange Colour, the Zeta Plus A Custom Variant is in its Waverider form, rolling on the reinforced taxi lane into the hangar. Compare to the original Zeta Gundam that they shipped to the AEUG earlier this month the unit looks is slightly differenced. It was designed by a teenager and although it was impressive, the kid designs it on a functional aspect only, without any knowledge of manufacturing, economy and strategy procurement. The original Zeta Gundam therefore is too complicated an expensive to mass produce. Only one complete unit was ever produced and it was quickly rollout to the frontline to help with the war effort. Some other prototypes were built but never used. Back at Anaheim, the Zeta project was almost scrapped immediately, the cost for those prototypes were humongous and there is absolutely no chance to mass produce an unit that complex in time to make a difference, a lesson that many ex-Zeonic Corp employee at Anaheim has to learnt the hard way. That is when the young hotshot showed up…

David Glen Boucher was born on Side 3, his family work for the Zeonic Corp which supplies weaponry for the Principality of Zeon during the One Year War. After the war, Zeonic Corp was absorbed by Anaheim and the young David continues his work as a sales man there. Having most of his family wealth stripped from him by the federation, his father executed by the Federation due to his involvement in the Laser Colony incident and his mother's hospitalized short after. The young man harbor hatred for the Federation but it being a professional he repressed it and follow his one true love… sell sell sell. It was not until the Titan emerges one year ago that all his repressed feelings surface. The Titan brutal methods generate a number of oppositions; the most successful of them being the AEUG. When Wong Lee, a fellow employee introduced him to Anaheim's "inner circle", David jumped at the first chance to support the AEUG in their fight against the Titans. Combine his career with destroying his enemy. To him it was a dream come true, a true calling, a path toward his destiny and he will have no one take it way from him. He worked diligently to rake up the price for every unit Anaheim sell to the Titan and tried to make the most generous discount to his 'true' customer, the AEUG. Every little help!

Being a sponsor to Zeta project from the beginning, when the unit development hit a snag, David seeks out his father old friends, Howard Nordlov. His father and Howard goes to college together before the war divided them on two opposing. Possessing knowledge on Newtype customized Mobile suit, Howard would be the key to his plan. To him, everything is simple; the unit is too expensive so we should lower the cost. Improve the transforming mechanism, replace the complex parts with something simpler, reuse of existing parts… etc… these changes reduce cost but also hitting the unit's performance which was the edge of the Zeta Gundam in space battle.

When the crews of the Argama finally return to space, David heard an interesting rumor: Amuro Ray, the hero of the One Years War has return to battle and instead of returning to space and join the AEUG like everyone though, he choose to stay and fight with the Karaba on Earth instead. This, however give David an opportunity; all of his thoughts linked together into a perfect scenario. A Simplified Zeta Gundam Unit designed to be use exclusively in atmosphere for a new customer, the Karaba. And to make this happened, he need Amuro Ray!

Things do not go quite as planned however. 17 August 0087 Blex Forer, leader of the AEUG were assassinated, the Zeta project once again comes under review. When David caught wind of this, he was dismayed. Time and money is against him and further research is discouraged and David gathers everything for one final bet.

Late September 0087, David and Howard depart to Greenland with three Zeta Gundam Plus A1 units. David insists on painting the three unit bright orange and white; one of them has a big A painted on its shoulder.


End file.
